Method and Apparatus for Analyzing Financial Data

ABSTRACT

A system analyzes multiple financial accounts having a common account holder and identifies a particular attribute, such as interest rate, associated with each of the multiple financial accounts. The system then makes a determination regarding whether an adjustment of funds among the multiple financial accounts would benefit the account holder. If the adjustment of funds would benefit the account holder, then recommending the adjustment of funds to the account holder and offering to perform the recommended adjustment of funds. The system executes the adjustment of funds if the account holder accepts the offer to perform the recommended adjustment of funds.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/621,946, filed Jul. 24, 2000, which is incorporated by reference inits entirety herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the analysis of financial data and,more particularly, to the analysis of multiple financial accounts andother market data to determine whether the allocation of assets and/orliabilities among the multiple financial accounts is optimal.

BACKGROUND

Customers of financial institutions (both individual customers andbusinesses) typically maintain multiple financial accounts at one ormore financial institutions. Financial institutions include, forexample, banks, savings and loans, credit unions, mortgage companies,lending companies, and stock brokers. These financial accounts includeasset accounts (such as savings accounts, checking accounts,certificates of deposit (CDs), mutual funds, bonds, and equities) anddebt accounts (such as credit card accounts, mortgage accounts, homeequity loans, overdraft protection, and other types of loans).

In many situations, a user's asset accounts may not be earning the bestavailable interest rate or the user's debt accounts my not be at themost competitive interest rate. It would be to the user's benefit toadjust the funds between different accounts to maximize the interestearned in the asset accounts and/or minimize the interest paid in thedebt accounts. For example, a user may have a checking account that paysno interest, but has a high balance. A portion of the funds in thechecking account could be transferred to a savings account or otherasset account that pays interest on the funds in the account. Similarly,a user with a high credit card balance could save money if a portion ofthe credit card balance was transferred to a home equity line of creditat a lower interest rate.

Certain users do not regularly monitor the balances of their assetaccounts or debt accounts. These users typically rely on the statementsissued (e.g., monthly or quarterly) by the financial institutionresponsible for the account. Thus, these users do not typically know thebalances of their various accounts. Even on the day they receive theirstatement from the financial institution, the status of the accounts mayhave changed due to other transactions that occurred after the statementwas generated.

Other users track asset account and debt account balances using paperforms or registers which are reconciled against the account statementsissued by the financial institutions. If the user accurately entersevery financial transaction and successfully reconciles every statementfrom the financial institution, then the paper forms or registers willreflect the current account balances of the user's accounts. However, todetermine whether the user's assets or debts could be adjusted for thebenefit of the user, the user would need to manually review the variousaccount balances and interest rates, and determine the amount of fundsto be transferred between the different accounts. This process can betedious, especially to users that do not have the patience to reviewmultiple accounts, compare balances and interest rates, and calculatethe estimated savings associated with certain transactions. The usermust also determine whether the time and effort required to implementthe transactions is worthwhile in view of the savings that result fromthe transactions. For example, if the user must go to the financialinstitution to transfer funds which would result in an interest savingsof a few dollars, the user must decide whether the transaction isworthwhile. This cost-benefit analysis is typically performed for eachtransaction each time the user reviews their accounts.

Certain financial software packages allow users to enter financialtransactions and generate reports indicating current account balances.Example software packages include Quicken available from Intuit Inc. ofMountain View, Calif., and Microsoft Money available from MicrosoftCorporation of Redmond, Wash. If all financial transactions are enteredinto the financial software package and each statement from a financialinstitution is reconciled, then the software package accurately displaysthe user's account balances. However, to determine whether funds shouldbe transferred between accounts, the user is required to review multipleaccounts, compare balances and interest rates, and calculate theestimated savings associated with certain transactions. Additionally,the user must perform a cost-benefit analysis for each transaction, asdiscussed above.

If the user does identify the funds to be transferred between differentaccounts, the user is then required to execute the necessarytransactions. To execute these transactions, the user may need to visitone or more financial institutions and request the appropriate fundtransfers. However, if one or more of the financial institutions islocated in a distant town, the fund transfers may need to be processedby check or bank wire. Alternately, the user may execute some of thetransactions through an online banking service, if the financialinstitution supports online banking. However, typical online bankingservices do not permit the transfer of funds between two differentfinancial institutions. Thus, if a user wants to transfer funds, forexample, from a checking account at a bank to a money market account ata stock broker, the user cannot generally execute the transfer usingonline banking.

Instead, the user needs to withdraw funds manually using, for example, acheck and manually deposit the funds in the second account (either inperson or by mail). Since the second account may place a hold on thedeposit, the actual fund transfer may not occur for a week (or longer)depending on the amount of the check, the policies of the financialinstitutions, and any delays involved with mailing the check. A bankwire provides a faster method of transferring funds between financialinstitutions, but is not generally cost-effective for small transfers(e.g., transfers of less than a few thousand dollars), due to the costsassociated with the bank wire. For small transfers, the costs associatedwith the bank wire may exceed the interest savings generated by thetransfer.

Thus, the systems available today do not provide a mechanism forautomatically analyzing multiple user accounts to identify fundtransfers that would be favorable to the user.

The systems and methods described herein addresses these and otherproblems by automatically analyzing multiple user accounts, both assetaccounts and debt accounts, to determine whether an adjustment of fundsbetween accounts would benefit the account holder.

SUMMARY

The system and methods described herein perform an automated analysis ofmultiple user accounts to determine whether those accounts are optimizedbased on, for example, the best available interest rates, interest rateson the user's accounts, and the user's account balances. The analysissystem makes recommendations, if necessary, to adjust account funds ifthe user could earn greater interest by adjusting asset accounts and/orpay less interest by adjusting debt accounts. Additionally, the analysissystem may make recommendations to adjust account funds from one or moreasset accounts to one or more debt accounts, or vice versa, if such atransaction is favorable to the user.

A particular embodiment analyzes multiple asset accounts having a commonaccount holder and identifies an attribute associated with each of themultiple asset accounts. A determination is made regarding whether anadjustment of assets among the multiple asset accounts would benefit theaccount holder.

In one embodiment, a recommendation is generated recommending opening anew asset account if available market interest rates for similar assetaccounts are better than at least one of the multiple asset accounts.

In another embodiment, the multiple asset accounts include a first assetaccount associated with a first financial institution and a second assetaccount associated with a second financial institution.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment in which variousservers, computing devices, and financial management systems exchangedata across a network, such as the Internet.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the interaction between a particularpair of financial institution servers, a market information service, aclient computer, and a financial management system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing pertinent components of a computer inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing exemplary components and modules of afinancial management system.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing exemplary components and modules of anasset analysis and recommendation module.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing exemplary components and modules of adebt analysis and recommendation module.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing exemplary components and modules of abalance sheet analysis and recommendation module.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a procedure for identifyingfinancial transactions to optimize a user's asset account balances.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a procedure for identifyingfinancial transactions to optimize a user's debt account balances.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating a procedure for identifyingfinancial transactions to optimize a user's balance sheet.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating a procedure for automaticallyoptimizing a user's asset accounts, debt accounts, and balance sheet.

FIG. 12 is a table illustrating various information associated withdifferent financial institutions.

FIG. 13 is a table illustrating various customer information related tofinancial accounts and user preferences.

FIGS. 14-15 illustrate exemplary user interface screens illustratingvarious account entry fields and account recommendations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The system and methods described herein automatically analyze multiplefinancial accounts to determine whether the account balances areoptimized based on the best available interest rates, the interest ratesassociated with the multiple financial accounts, and the balances of themultiple financial accounts. After analyzing the accounts,recommendations are provided, if necessary, for adjusting account fundsto allow the account holder to earn greater interest in asset accountsand/or pay less interest in debt accounts. Additionally, recommendationsmay be provided to adjust account funds from one or more asset accountsto one or more debt accounts, or vice versa, if such an adjustment isfavorable to the account holder. The systems and methods describedherein may operate in a proactive manner, such that the variousrecommendations are generated without any action or request by the user.The financial management system described herein may regularly analyze auser's accounts and make recommendations, if appropriate, on its owninitiative, without any prompting from the user.

As used herein, the terms “account holder”, “customer”, “user”, and“client” are interchangeable. “Account holder” refers to any personhaving access to an account. A particular account may have multipleaccount holders (e.g., a joint checking account having husband and wifeas account holders or a corporate account identifying several corporateemployees as account holders). Various financial account and financialinstitution examples are provided herein for purposes of explanation.However, it will be appreciated that the system and procedures describedherein can be used with any type of asset account and any type of debtaccount. Example asset accounts include savings accounts, money marketaccounts, checking accounts (both interest-bearing andnon-interest-bearing), certificates of deposit (CDs), mutual funds,bonds, and equities. Example debt accounts include credit card accounts,mortgage accounts, home equity loans, overdraft protection, marginaccounts, personal loans, and other types of loans. Exemplary financialinstitutions include banks, savings and loans, credit unions, mortgagecompanies, mutual fund companies, lending companies, and stock brokers.

Various attributes associated with an asset account and/or a debtaccount are discussed herein. These attributes are used to analyzevarious accounts and make recommendations that would benefit the accountholder. Example attributes include interest rate, loan repayment terms,minimum balance, type of collateral, etc. Although particular examplesare discussed herein with reference to interest rates, it will beappreciated that the methods and systems described herein are applicableto any type of attribute.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment 100 in which variousservers, computing devices, and financial management systems exchangedata across a data communication network. The network environment ofFIG. 1 includes multiple financial institution servers 102, 104, and 106coupled to a data communication network 108, such as the Internet. Amarket information service server 110 and a financial management system118 are also coupled to network 108. Additionally, a wireless device 112and a client computer 114 are coupled to network 108. Wireless device112 may be a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld or portablecomputer, a cellular phone, a pager, or any other device capable ofcommunicating with other devices via a wireless connection. A financialinformation provider 116 is coupled between network 108 and clientcomputer 114.

Network 108 may be any type of data communication network using anycommunication protocol. Further, network 108 may include one or moresub-networks (not shown) which are interconnected with one another.

The communication links shown between the network 108 and the variousdevices (102-106 and 110-118) shown in FIG. 1 can use any type ofcommunication medium and any communication protocol. For example, one ormore of the communication links shown in FIG. 1 may be a wireless link(e.g., a radio frequency (RF) link or a microwave link) or a wired linkaccessed via a public telephone system or another communication network.Wireless device 112 typically accesses network 108 via a wirelessconnection to another communication network that is coupled to network108. Certain devices, such as servers, may be coupled to a local areanetwork (LAN), which is coupled to network 108. Client computer 114 mayaccess network 108 in different ways. First, client computer 114 maydirectly access network 108, for example, by using a modem to access apublic telephone network (e.g., a public switched telephone network(PSTN)) that is coupled to network 108. Alternately, client computer 114may access financial information provider 116, which establishes aconnection to network 108. Financial information provider 116 may act asa “buffer” between network 108 and client computer 114, or may allowcommands and data to simply pass-through between the network 108 and theclient computer 114.

Each of the financial institution servers 102, 104, and 106 aretypically associated with a particular financial institution and storedata for that financial institution, such as customer account data. Themarket information service server 110 may represent one or more servicesthat collect and report information regarding current financial marketconditions. For example, a particular market information service maycollect information from many financial institutions to generate areport identifying the average interest rates for savings, checking, orother accounts. The report may also identify the highest rates for eachtype of account and the financial institution offering those rates.Multiple market information service servers 110 may be coupled tonetwork 108, each server providing a different type of market data.

Financial management system 118 performs various account analysisfunctions to determine whether a user's financial accounts (e.g., bothasset accounts and debt accounts) are optimized. These analysisfunctions are discussed in greater detail below. Wireless device 112 andclient computer 114 allow a user to access information via the network108. For example, the user can access account information from one ofthe financial institution servers 102, 104, or 106, access currentinterest rate data from market information service server 110, or send arequest for an analysis of the user's financial accounts to financialmanagement system 118. Financial information provider 116 acts as anintermediary between client computer 114 and other devices coupled tonetwork 108. For example, client computer 114 generates a request fordata or account analysis and communicates the request to the financialinformation provider 116. The financial information provider 116 thenretrieves the requested data or initiates the requested account analysison behalf of the user of client computer 114.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the interaction between a particularpair of financial institution servers 132 and 134, a market informationservice server 140, a client computer 136, and a financial managementsystem 138. Client computer 136 is capable of accessing financialinstitution server 132 via a communication link 142 and accessingfinancial institution server 134 via a communication link 144. Forexample, the user of client computer 136 may retrieve accountinformation or interest rate information from one or both of thefinancial institution servers 132, 134. Client computer 136 is alsocapable of interacting with financial management system 138 via acommunication link 146. The user of client computer 136 may accessfinancial management system 138, for example, to have the system analyzethe user's financial accounts.

Financial management system 138 is coupled to the two financialinstitution servers 132 and 134 via two communication links 148 and 150,respectively. Communication links 148 and 150 allow the financialmanagement system 138 to retrieve information from the financialinstitution servers 132, 134, and execute transactions on the financialinstitution servers on behalf of the user of client computer 136.Financial management system 138 is also coupled to market informationservice server 140 through a communication link 152, which allows thefinancial management system to retrieve various information regardingmarket interest rates and other market data. Financial institutionservers 132 and 134 are capable of communicating with one another via acommunication link 154, which allows the servers to exchange data andother information with one another.

Communication links 142-154 may be dial-up connections and/orconnections via one or more networks of the type discussed above withrespect to FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing pertinent components of a computer 180in accordance with the invention. A computer such as that shown in FIG.3 can be used, for example, to perform various financial analysisoperations such as accessing and analyzing a user's financial accountinformation to make account recommendations. Computer 180 can also beused to access a web site or other computing facility to access thevarious financial analysis functions. The computer shown in FIG. 3 canfunction as a server, a client computer, or a financial managementsystem, of the types discussed herein.

Computer 180 includes at least one processor 182 coupled to a bus 184that couples together various system components. Bus 184 represents oneor more of any of several types of bus structures, such as a memory busor memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a processor or local bususing any of a variety of bus architectures. A random access memory(RAM) 186 and a read only memory (ROM) 188 are coupled to bus 184.Additionally, a network interface 190 and a removable storage device192, such as a floppy disk or a CD-ROM, are coupled to bus 184. Networkinterface 190 provides an interface to a data communication network suchas a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) forexchanging data with other computers and devices. A disk storage 194,such as a hard disk, is coupled to bus 184 and provides for thenon-volatile storage of data (e.g., computer-readable instructions, datastructures, program modules and other data used by computer 180).Although computer 180 illustrates a removable storage 192 and a diskstorage 194, it will be appreciated that other types ofcomputer-readable media which can store data that is accessible by acomputer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital videodisks, and the like; may also be used in the exemplary computer.

Various peripheral interfaces 196 are coupled to bus 184 and provide aninterface between the computer 180 and the individual peripheraldevices. Exemplary peripheral devices include a display device 198, akeyboard 200, a mouse 202, a modem 204, and a printer 206. Modem 204 canbe used to access other computer systems and devices directly or byconnecting to a data communication network such as the Internet.

A variety of program modules can be stored on the disk storage 194,removable storage 192, RAM 186, or ROM 188, including an operatingsystem, one or more application programs, and other program modules andprogram data. A user can enter commands and other information intocomputer 180 using the keyboard 200, mouse 202, or other input devices(not shown). Other input devices may include a microphone, joystick,game pad, scanner, satellite dish, or the like.

Computer 180 may operate in a network environment using logicalconnections to other remote computers. The remote computers may bepersonal computers, servers, routers, or peer devices. In a networkedenvironment, some or all of the program modules executed by computer 180may be retrieved from another computing device coupled to the network.

Typically, the computer 180 is programmed using instructions stored atdifferent times in the various computer-readable media of the computer.Programs and operating systems are often distributed, for example, onfloppy disks or CD-ROMs. The programs are installed from thedistribution media into a storage device within the computer 180. When aprogram is executed, the program is at least partially loaded into thecomputer's primary electronic memory. As described herein, the inventionincludes these and other types of computer-readable media when the mediacontains instructions or programs for implementing the steps describedbelow in conjunction with a processor. The invention also includes thecomputer itself when programmed according to the procedures andtechniques described herein.

For purposes of illustration, programs and other executable programcomponents are illustrated herein as discrete blocks, although it isunderstood that such programs and components reside at various times indifferent storage components of the computer, and are executed by thecomputer's processor. Alternatively, the systems and proceduresdescribed herein can be implemented in hardware or a combination ofhardware, software, and/or firmware. For example, one or moreapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs) can be programmed tocarry out the systems and procedures described herein.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing exemplary components and modules of afinancial management system 220. A communication interface 222 allowsthe financial management system 220 to communicate with other computingsystems, such as servers, client computers, and portable computingdevices. In one embodiment, communication interface 222 is a networkinterface to a LAN, which is coupled to another data communicationnetwork, such as the Internet.

The financial management system 220 stores customer data 224, such ascustomer account information, online banking login name and password,and user preferences. Financial management system 220 also storesfinancial institution data 226 and market information 228. Financialinstitution data 226 includes, for example, transaction routing data,account offerings, account interest rates, and minimum account balances.Market information 228 includes data such as average interest rates fordifferent types of accounts (both asset accounts and debt accounts), thebest available interest rates for each type of account, and thefinancial institutions offering the best available interest rates.

An asset analysis and recommendation module 230 analyzes various assetaccounts to determine whether the accounts are earning the bestavailable interest rates (or close to the best interest rates) andwhether the fund allocation among the asset accounts is optimal or closeto optimal. If fund adjustments would benefit the account holder, thenmodule 230 makes the appropriate recommendations to the account holder.The asset accounts analyzed may be associated with two or more differentfinancial institutions. A debt analysis and recommendation module 232analyzes various debt accounts to determine whether the accounts arepaying the most competitive (i.e., the lowest) interest rates or closeto the best interest rates. Module 232 also determines whether theallocation of funds among the debt accounts is optimal or close tooptimal, and makes recommendations, if necessary, to adjust funds in amanner that reduces the overall interest payments. The debt accountsanalyzed may be associated with two or more different financialinstitutions.

A balance sheet analysis and recommendation module 234 analyzes bothasset accounts and debt accounts to determine whether the allocation offunds among all of the accounts is optimal or close to optimal. If fundadjustments would benefit the account holder, then the balance sheetanalysis and recommendation module 234 makes the appropriaterecommendations to the account holder.

A report generator 236 generates various types of reports, such asaccount activity history, current recommendations to adjust funds amongaccounts, or a report comparing the current market interest rates to theinterest rates of a user's current accounts. A transaction executionmodule 238 executes financial transactions at the direction of accountholders. For example, an account holder may request that the financialmanagement system 220 execute the recommendations generated by one ormore of the three analysis and recommendation modules 230, 232, and 234.In this example, transaction execution module 238 identifies therecommendations and executes the financial transactions necessary toimplement the recommendations.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing exemplary components and modules ofasset analysis and recommendation module 230. An asset accountinformation collection module 250 collects information about a user'sasset accounts. When a user accesses the financial management system andrequests an analysis of the user's asset accounts, the system promptsthe user to enter account information for all of the user's assetaccounts. The information provided for each account may include the nameof the financial institution, the account number, and the login name andpassword for online access to the account. This information is typicallystored by the financial management system to avoid asking the user tore-enter the same information in the future. Based on the informationprovided by the user, the asset account information collection module250 is able to access the user's accounts and determine the balance ofeach account as well as other information such as the interest rate andminimum balance for the account.

After collecting the user's asset account information, the collectionmodule 250 organizes the account information into a common format andcommunicates the information to an asset analysis and recommendationengine 254 for processing.

A financial institution and market data collection module 256 collectsinformation about particular financial institutions (e.g., transactionrouting information and account offerings) and information about currentmarket interest rates. The information about financial institutions maybe retrieved from the financial institutions themselves or from one ormore market information services that provide information about variousfinancial institutions. The information relating to current marketinterest rates is collected from one or more market informationservices. After collecting the financial institution information and themarket data, the collection module 256 communicates the collectedinformation and data to the asset analysis and recommendation engine254.

A default asset analysis logic 258 defines a default set of logic rulesused to analyze a user's asset accounts. These default logic rules areused if the user does not create their own set of logic rules and doesnot select from one of several sets of alternate asset analysis logicrules 260 and 262. The alternate logic rules 260 and 262 may providedifferent approaches to asset account analysis (e.g., a conservativeapproach, a moderate approach, or an aggressive approach). In particularembodiments, at least one of the alternate logic rules 260, 262 isassociated with a financial and/or investment celebrity, who defines theparticular set of logic rules based on their financial and/or investmentexpertise.

The particular logic rules selected for each user may be different basedon the sets of logic rules chosen by the user. Additionally, the logicrules selected for a particular user may change over time as thefinancial management system learns more about the user's payment orspending habits. For example, if the user regularly makes a $1000payment from a particular checking account on the 15th of each month, arule may be created by the financial management system to ensure thatthe checking account has at least a $1000 balance on the 14th of eachmonth. If the checking account does not have a sufficient balance, thenthe financial management system may recommend a fund transfer to raisethe balance of the checking account to cover the anticipated $1000payment on the 15th. This type of user-specific logic rule may be storedwith the other user data in the financial management system.

Asset analysis and recommendation engine 254 analyzes the user's assetaccount information by applying the various asset analysis logic rulesto the asset account information. The asset analysis and recommendationengine 254 also considers market data collected by collection module 256when analyzing the user's asset accounts. After analyzing the user'sasset accounts, the asset analysis and recommendation engine 254generates one or more recommendations to adjust the fund allocationamong the asset accounts. The recommendation may also include opening anew asset account (e.g., an account that pays a higher interest rate)and/or closing an existing asset account (e.g., an account that pays alow interest rate). The recommendations and analysis results are outputon communication link 264 for use by other modules or components in thefinancial management system.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing exemplary components and modules ofdebt analysis and recommendation module 232. A debt account informationcollection module 270 collects information about a user's debt accounts.When a user accesses the financial management system and requests ananalysis of the user's debt accounts, the system prompts the user toenter account information for each of the user's debt accounts. Theinformation provided for each account may include the name of thefinancial institution, the account number, and information necessary toaccess the account online. This information is typically stored by thefinancial management system to avoid asking the user to re-enter thesame information in the future. Based on the information provided by theuser, the debt account collection module 270 accesses the user's debtaccounts and determines the balance of each account as well as otherinformation, such as the interest charged and the maximum balance forthe account.

After collecting the user's debt account information, the collectionmodule 270 organizes the account information into a common format andcommunicates the account information to a debt analysis andrecommendation engine 274 for processing.

A financial institution and market data collection 276 collectsinformation regarding particular financial institutions and informationabout current market interest rates. The information relating tofinancial institutions may be retrieved from the financial institutionsthemselves or from one or more market information services that provideinformation about various financial institutions. The informationrelating to current market interest rates is collected from one or moremarket information services. After collecting the financial institutioninformation and the market data, the collection module 276 communicatesthe collected information and data to the debt analysis andrecommendation engine 274.

A default debt analysis logic 278 defines a default set of logic rulesused to analyze a user's debt accounts. These default logic rules areused if the user does not create their own set of logic rules and doesnot select from one of the several sets of alternate debt analysis logic280 and 282. The alternate logic rules 280 and 282 may provide differentapproaches to debt account analysis, such as a conservative approach, amoderate approach, or an aggressive approach. In a particularembodiment, at least one of the alternate logic rules 280, 282 isassociated with a financial and/or investment celebrity, who defines theparticular set of logic rules based on their financial and/or investmentexpertise.

The particular logic rules selected for each user may be different basedon the sets of logic rules chosen by the user. Additionally, the logicrules selected for a particular user may change over time as thefinancial management system learns more about the user's payment orspending habits. For example, if the user has too many expenses (i.e.,the current month's expenses exceed the user's typical monthly income),then the logic rules may suggest a short-term loan to cover theexpenses, thereby avoiding a situation in which the user hasinsufficient funds to pay bills as they become due. Additionally, if theloan will only be required for a short period of time, the rules maysuggest opening (or taking advantage of an existing) overdraftprotection account.

Different debt logic rules may be applied depending on a user's opinionsregarding debt. One user might use the majority of available assets topay down debts, thereby minimizing the user's level of debt. Anotheruser might want to maintain a larger “cushion” of cash and only pay downdebts if the available assets exceed a predetermined amount (e.g.,$10,000). Debt rules from, for example, a celebrity or well-knownfinancial analyst might recommend setting aside savings at the beginningof the month to “force” the appropriate monthly savings. The remainderof the assets are then used to pay monthly bills and other expenses.Other financial analysts may use different sets of logic rules to definethe analysis and handling of asset accounts and debt accounts.

Debt analysis and recommendation engine 274 analyzes the user's debtaccount information by applying the various debt analysis logic rules tothe debt account information. The debt analysis and recommendationengine 274 also considers market data collected by collection module 276when analyzing the user's debt accounts. After analyzing the user's debtaccounts, the debt analysis and recommendation engine 274 generates oneor more recommendations to adjust the fund allocation among the debtaccounts. The recommendation may also include opening a new debt account(e.g., an account with a lower interest rate) and/or closing an existingdebt account (e.g., an account with a high interest rate). Therecommendations and analysis results are output on communication link284 for use by other modules or components in the financial managementsystem.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing exemplary components and modules ofbalance sheet analysis and recommendation module 234. An accountinformation collection module 290 collects information about a user'sasset accounts and debt accounts. When a user accesses the financialmanagement system and requests an analysis of the user's balance sheet,the system prompts the user to enter account information for each of theuser's asset accounts and debt accounts. The information provided foreach account may include the name of the financial institution, theaccount number, and information necessary to access the account online.This information is typically stored by the financial management systemto avoid asking the user to re-enter the same information in the future.Based on the information provided by the user, the account collectionmodule 290 accesses the user's debt accounts and determines the balanceof each account as well as other information, such as the interestcharged or earned, and the maximum balance or credit limit associatedwith the account.

After collecting the user's asset and debt account information, thecollection module 290 organizes the account information into a commonformat and communicates the account information to a balance sheetanalysis and recommendation engine 294 for processing.

A financial institution and market data collection 296 collectsinformation regarding particular financial institutions and informationabout current market interest rates for both asset accounts and debtaccounts. The information relating to financial institutions may beretrieved from the financial institutions themselves or from one or moremarket information services that provide information about variousfinancial institutions. The information relating to current marketinterest rates is collected from one or more market informationservices. After collecting the financial institution information and themarket data, the collection module 296 communicates the collectedinformation and data to the balance sheet analysis and recommendationengine 294.

A default balance sheet analysis logic 298 defines a default set oflogic rules used to analyze a user's balance sheet. These default logicrules are used if the user does not create their own set of logic rulesand does not select from one of the several sets of alternate balancesheet analysis logic 300 and 302. The alternate logic rules 300 and 302may provide different approaches to debt account analysis, such as aconservative approach, a moderate approach, or an aggressive approach.In a particular embodiment, at least one of the alternate logic rules300, 302 is associated with a financial and/or investment celebrity, whodefines the particular set of logic rules based on their financialand/or investment expertise.

The particular logic rules selected for each user may be different basedon the sets of logic rules chosen by the user. Additionally, the logicrules selected for a particular user may change over time as thefinancial management system learns more about the user's payment orspending habits. For example, if the user has funds earning a lowinterest rate in a savings account and carries a balance on a creditcard with a high interest rate, the logic rules may suggest applyingsome or all of the funds in the savings account to pay off all or aportion of the balance on the credit card.

Different balance sheet logic rules may be applied depending on a user'sopinions regarding assets and debts. One user might prefer to use themajority of available assets to pay down debts, thereby minimizing theuser's level of debt. Another user might want to maintain a larger“cushion” of cash and only pay down debts if the available assets exceeda predetermined amount (e.g., $5,000).

Balance sheet analysis and recommendation engine 294 analyzes the user'sbalance sheet information by applying the various balance sheet analysislogic rules to the balance sheet information. The balance sheet analysisand recommendation engine 294 also considers financial institution andmarket data collected by collection module 296 when analyzing the user'sbalance sheet. After analyzing the user's balance sheet, the balancesheet analysis and recommendation engine 294 generates one or morerecommendations to adjust the fund allocation among the user's assetaccounts and debt accounts. The recommendation may also include openingone or more new accounts and/or closing one or more existing accounts.The recommendations and analysis results are output on communicationlink 304 for use by other modules or components in the financialmanagement system.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a procedure for identifyingfinancial transactions to optimize a user's asset account balances. Theprocedure begins by analyzing the user's asset accounts (block 320). Theprocedure then determines the best available asset accounts (block 322),for example, by using market interest rate information from a marketinformation service. Next, the procedure determines whether there arebetter accounts for the user's assets (block 324). These “better”accounts may include asset accounts that earn higher interest rates thanthe user's current asset accounts.

If the procedure identifies better accounts for the user's assets, thenthe procedure selects the best alternative account (or accounts) andmakes a recommendation that the user open the alternative account (block326). If the procedure does not identify any better accounts for theuser's assets, then the procedure continues to block 328, where theprocedure determines whether the assets in the user's accounts should beadjusted. If the user's asset accounts should be adjusted, then theprocedure identifies the best adjustment of the user's asset accountsand makes asset adjustment recommendations to the user (block 330).Finally, the user is provided the opportunity to automatically executeany of the recommendations, such as opening one or more new assetaccounts and/or moving funds between asset accounts (block 332). If theuser chooses to have the recommendations executed automatically, thefinancial management system executes the necessary financialtransactions to implement the system's recommendations. The proceduredescribed above with respect to FIG. 8 may be implemented, for example,by asset analysis and recommendation module 230.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a procedure for identifyingfinancial transactions to optimize a user's debt account balances. Theprocedure analyzes the user's debt accounts (block 350) and determinesthe best available debt accounts (block 352). The best available debtaccounts are determined, for example, by using market interest rateinformation from one or more market information services. Next, theprocedure determines whether there are better accounts for the user'sdebts (block 354). These “better” accounts may include debt accountsthat charge lower interest rates than the user's current debt accounts.

If better accounts are identified for the user's debts, then theprocedure selects the best alternative account (or accounts) and makes arecommendation that the user open the alternative account (block 356).If the procedure does not identify any better accounts for the user'sdebts, then the procedure continues to block 358, to determine whetherthe debts in the user's accounts should be adjusted. If the user's debtaccounts should be adjusted, then the procedure identifies the bestadjustment of the user's debt accounts and makes asset adjustmentrecommendations to the user (block 360). Finally, the user is providedthe opportunity to automatically execute any of the recommendations,such as opening one or more new debt accounts and/or moving fundsbetween debt accounts (block 362). If the user chooses to have therecommendations executed automatically, the financial management systemexecutes the necessary financial transactions to implement the system'srecommendations. The procedure described above with respect to FIG. 9can be implemented, for example, by debt analysis and recommendationmodule 232.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating a procedure for identifyingfinancial transactions to optimize a user's balance sheet. The procedureanalyzes the user's balance sheet (block 370) and determines whetherthere is a better distribution of assets and debts across the user'sbalance sheet (block 372). For example, a “better distribution” ofassets and debts may result in greater interest earned by the user orless interest paid by the user. If there is a better distribution ofassets and debts across the user's balance sheet, then the procedureidentifies the optimal allocation of assets and debts and makesrecommendations to the user (block 374).

If the procedure does not identify any better distribution of assets anddebts, then the procedure continues to block 376, to determine whetherthe amounts in the user's asset and debt accounts should be adjusted. Ifthe user's accounts should be adjusted, then the procedure identifiesthe best adjustment of the user's asset and debt accounts and makesadjustment recommendations to the user (block 378). Finally, the user isprovided the opportunity to automatically execute any of therecommendations (block 380), such as moving funds between accounts tomaximize interest earned or minimize interest paid. If the user choosesto have the recommendations executed automatically, the financialmanagement system executes the necessary financial transactions toimplement the system's recommendations. The procedure described abovewith respect to FIG. 10 can be implemented, for example, by balancesheet analysis and recommendation module 234.

A user may choose to have the financial management system 220 (FIG. 4)analyze and make recommendations regarding the user's asset accounts,while ignoring the user's debt accounts. FIG. 8 illustrates an exampleprocedure for this type of analysis and recommendation. Additionally,the user may select specific asset accounts to ignore during theanalysis procedure. For example, the user may have a savings account fora special purpose. Even though the savings account may earn abelow-average interest rate, the user does not want funds transferredinto or out of that savings account. In this example, the user wouldinstruct the financial management system to ignore that particularsavings account.

The user may also choose to have the financial management system analyzeand make recommendations regarding the user's debt accounts, whileignoring the user's asset accounts. FIG. 9 illustrates an exampleprocedure for this type of analysis and recommendation. Additionally,the user may select specific debt accounts to ignore during the analysisprocedure. For example, the user may want to pay-off and close aparticular debt account even though the account has a favorable interestrate. In this example, the user would instruct the financial managementsystem to ignore that particular debt account when performing itsanalysis.

The user can also choose to have the financial management system analyzeand make recommendations regarding both the user's asset accounts anddebt accounts (i.e., analyze the user's balance sheet). FIG. 10illustrates an example procedure for this type of analysis andrecommendation. Additionally, the user may select specific assetaccounts or debt accounts to ignore during the analysis procedure. Thus,the user has the option of selecting the types of accounts to consider,as well as specific accounts to consider or ignore, when the financialmanagement system performs its analysis and makes recommendations.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating a procedure for automaticallyoptimizing a user's asset accounts, debt accounts, and balance sheet.Initially, the procedure determines the best adjustment of the user'sasset accounts (block 400). The best adjustment of the user's assetaccounts may include opening a new account, closing an existing account,and/or transferring funds between accounts (new accounts or existingaccounts). If the user's asset accounts are already optimized, or almostoptimized, the procedure determines that no adjustment of asset accountsis necessary.

Next, the procedure determines the best adjustment of the user's debtaccounts (block 402) and the best adjustment of the user's balance sheet(block 404). The best adjustment of the user's debt accounts and theuser's balance sheet may include opening one or more new accounts,closing one or more existing accounts, and/or transferring funds betweenaccounts (new accounts or existing accounts). If the user's debtaccounts are already optimized, or almost optimized, the proceduredetermines that no adjustment of debt accounts is necessary. Similarly,if the user's balance sheet is already optimized, or almost optimized,then the procedure determines that no adjustment of asset accounts ordebt accounts is necessary.

The various logic rules discussed above, which are used by the financialmanagement system to determine whether funds should be adjusted betweenaccounts, may define how to determine whether accounts are “almostoptimized.” Typical factors that may be considered in determiningwhether accounts are “almost optimized” include: the savings (extrainterest earned or less interest paid) that would result from anadjustment of funds, the difference in interest rates, the time requiredto implement the adjustment of funds, fees associated with theadjustment of funds, and the “risk” associated with the adjustment. The“risk” may be overdrawing an account by leaving too little funds tocover unexpected expenses (or expenses that are greater than expected).

For example, if a particular adjustment of funds would result in anincrease in interest earnings of three cents per week, most logic ruleswill consider this situation “almost optimized.” In this situation, thefinancial management system will not recommend the adjustment of fundsbecause the additional interest is insignificant.

After the procedure has determined the best adjustment of the user'saccounts (blocks 400, 402, and 404), the procedure identifies thefinancial institutions involved in the adjustment of the user's accounts(block 406). The financial institutions are determined from theinformation entered by the user when identifying the user's accounts tothe financial management system. Next, the procedure contacts theappropriate financial institutions and/or payment networks and executesthe financial transfers necessary to implement the recommendedadjustments to the user's accounts (block 408). A payment network maybe, for example, the Federal Automated Clearing House (ACH), a debitnetwork, a credit network, the federal wire system, or an ATM network.The financial management system is able to automatically access theuser's accounts by using the login name and password for the account,which is provided by the user when identifying the user's accounts tothe financial management system.

After executing the financial transactions necessary to implement therecommended adjustments to the user's accounts, the a report isgenerated for the user that identifies the financial transfers executed(block 410). Finally, the user's account information is updated in thefinancial management system such that the system has accurate accountbalance information for all of the user's accounts (block 412).

The procedure described above with respect to FIG. 11 can be modifiedbased on the user's preferences with respect to the types of accounts tobe analyzed. For example, if the user selects only asset accounts foranalysis, then the functions associated with blocks 402 and 404 of theprocedure are not performed.

FIG. 12 shows a table 430 illustrating various information associatedwith different financial institutions. The information contained intable 430 may be obtained from the financial institution itself or fromone or more market information services. The information contained intable 430 is periodically updated by comparing the information stored inthe table against the current financial institution information.

The first column of table 430 identifies the name of the financialinstitution and the second column identifies the American BankingAssociation (ABA) number and routing number. The third column indicatesan Internet uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the financialinstitution. The fourth column of table 430 identifies the variousaccount offerings from a particular financial institution. In thisexample, Bank of America offers a savings account, two types of checkingaccounts (interest bearing and non-interest bearing), a three monthcertificate of deposit (CD), a home equity loan, a credit card account,and overdraft protection for a checking account. The next columnindicates the type of account (e.g., an asset account or a debtaccount).

The sixth column of table 430 indicates the current interest rateassociated with each account. In the case of an asset account, theinterest rate is the interest paid to a customer based on the balance inthe account. In the case of a debt account, the interest rate is theinterest charged to a customer based on the outstanding balance of thedebt. The last column in table 430 indicates the minimum balanceassociated with each account. In this example, the debt accounts do nothave a minimum balance. However, a debt account may have a maximumbalance (e.g., the maximum value that can be loaned). Although not shownin FIG. 12, additional account information may be stored in table 430,such as monthly service charges, per-check charges, service charges forATM transactions, or service charges if the minimum balance is notmaintained.

FIG. 13 shows a table 440 illustrating various customer informationrelated to financial accounts and user preferences. Most informationcontained in table 440 is obtained from the user during an account setupprocedure. The current account balance information is typicallyretrieved from the financial institution by the financial managementsystem. The account balance information is periodically updated byretrieving current information from the financial institution.

The first column of table 440 identifies the customer name (the tablecontains customer information for multiple customers accessing the samefinancial management system). The second column identifies a financialinstitution and the third column identifies an account number as well asan online username and password associated with the account number. Theusername and password are used to access the account to perform onlinebanking functions such as executing fund transfers or retrieving currentaccount balances. The fourth column of table 440 identifies the accountsthat the customer has with the financial institution (i.e., activeaccounts). For example, John Smith has five active accounts with Bank ofAmerica (savings, interest checking, home equity, credit card, andoverdraft protection), one active account with Charles Schwab (moneymarket account), and one active account with Rainbow Credit Union(savings account). The next column in table 440 indicates the currentaccount balance for each active account. The last column indicates userpreferences. The user preferences are determined by the user based onthe manner in which the user wants information displayed, the manner inwhich accounts should be analyzed, and the types of recommendations theuser desires. Additionally, the user preferences may specify certainminimum balances or other requirements for all accounts or for specificaccounts. For example, the user preferences for John Smith specify thata minimum balance of $1500 should be maintained in the interest checkingaccount. These user preferences are typically incorporated into thelogic rules, discussed above, which are used to determine when and howto adjust funds between accounts.

Other types of user preferences include a maximum number of transactionsper month in a particular account (e.g., some money market accounts setlimits on the number of transactions in a particular month). By settinga user preference (or a logic rule) to limit the number of monthlytransactions, the financial management system will not recommend (orattempt to execute) too many transactions in a particular month. A usermay also set a preference that requires the financial management systemto predict expenses for the next seven days (e.g., based on historicalexpenses during similar periods) and maintain a “buffer” in the accountequal to the predicted expenses for the next seven days. Further, a usermay set a preference indicating that funds should not be adjusted unlessthe adjustment results in a savings of at least five dollars per day.

FIGS. 14-15 illustrate exemplary user interface screens illustratingvarious account entry fields and account recommendations. FIG. 14illustrates an example screen 500 generated by a web browser or otherapplication that allows a user to enter account information andpreferences. Each entry identifies an institution 502 associated withthe account and an account number 504. The user may select whether thefinancial management system has access to move funds into the account,out of the account, or both, by selecting the appropriate check boxes506. The user may also set a maximum amount that can be withdrawn fromthe account at a particular time or during a particular time period byentering the amount in field 508. The credit routing number for theaccount is entered in field 510 and the debit routing number for theaccount is entered in field 512.

Although not shown in FIG. 14, other fields may be provided in the userinterface to allow the user to enter additional preferences orinformation, such as interest rate, minimum balance the user wantsmaintained, etc. Certain account information (such as interest rate androuting numbers) may be obtained from the bank directly, therebyminimizing the information required to be entered by the user.

FIG. 15 illustrates another example screen 550 generated by a webbrowser or other application that allows a user to reviewrecommendations generated by the financial management system. In theexample of FIG. 15, one recommendation 552 is shown—to transfer fundsfrom the Wells Fargo Checking account into the Chase Savings account. Arecommended amount to transfer 554 has also been identified. If therecommendation is executed, the projected savings 556 over the next sixmonths is $26. The reasoning or analysis supporting the recommendationand the projected savings is provided at 558. The user can execute therecommendation by activating the “Execute” button 560 on the screen.After activating the “Execute” button, the financial management systemautomatically performs the necessary steps to transfer the recommendedfunds between the two accounts.

In an alternate embodiment, the user is given the option to modify theamount to be transferred between the two accounts. For example, the usermay only want to transfer $500 instead of the recommended $877. In thissituation, the financial management system is still able toautomatically perform the steps necessary to transfer $500 between thetwo accounts.

Thus, a system and method has been described that analyzes multiple useraccounts to determine whether those accounts are optimized, or close tooptimized, based on the best available market interest rates, interestrates associated with the user's accounts, and the user's accountbalances. Recommendations are generated, if necessary, to adjust accountfunds if the user could earn greater interest by adjusting assetaccounts and/or pay less interest by adjusting debt accounts. Therecommendations may include adjusting funds from an asset account to adebt account or vice versa.

Although the description above uses language that is specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the invention defined in the appended claims is not limited to thespecific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features andacts are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the invention.

1. A method comprising: analyzing a plurality of asset accounts having acommon account holder; identifying an attribute associated with each ofthe plurality of asset accounts; and determining whether an adjustmentof assets among the plurality of assets accounts would benefit theaccount holder. 2-51. (canceled)